This invention generally relates to an apparatus and method for feeding elongated products, more particularly to feeding a plurality of elongated products in a series through a selected stroke length in order to pass the elongated products to a subsequent treatment station. The invention is particularly well suited for feeding food products such as sausage chubs or loafs through an automatic slicer. The length of time between feeding strokes is minimized by disengaging the feed transport assembly from its drive mechanism at the end of the feed stroke and then subjecting the transport assembly to a fast retract operation whereby the transport assembly returns to its feed initiating position whereat it re-engages its drive mechanism.
High volume production of products such as sliced sausages includes passing large elongated sausage chubs and loafs through a high speed slicer, after which stacks of slices that are of a selected weight are packaged as a processed meat product suitable for wide distribution for eventual sale to the retail customer as a conveniently packaged product. In devices of this type, where production volume is an important consideration, it is desirable to minimize the time that it takes to feed and slice the elongated products. While the feed time is generally limited by the speed and capacity of the slicer, shortening the length of time needed for any return strokes is a viable manner of reducing total processing times.
Previously devloped sausage feeding and slicing mechanisms include multiple feed drive assemblies which move product engaging members simultaneously in opposite directions so that one product engaging member is returning to the feed initiating position while the other is feeding an elongated product to a slicing assembly, which mechanisms permit a plurality of elongated products to be fed in succession to the slicing assembly. One aspect of this type of apparatus is that the returning feed mechanism traverses its return path by reversing the direction of the feed mechanism and the product engaging carriage attached thereto. Because the carriage is returned to the feed initiating position by reversing the drive means, the speed of the return stroke is limited by the reverse speed of the drive mechanism. Also, running the drive mechanism at full speed in the reverse direction under the load of the carriage tends to shorten the life of the feed mechanism. For example, a maximum return speed for a ball screw and ball nut mechanism that is typically utilized in these type of devices is about nine inches per second. Since a typical commercial sausage slicing apparatus has a feed length of about six feet, a return stroke of this type will require approximately eight seconds.
There is accordingly a need for a sausage slicer feed mechanism that is capable of handling commercial volumes, that has a minimum retract time, and that avoids a return stroke that incorporates full implementation of the feed mechanism in reverse direction. Such is accomplished by the present invention which includes a feed assembly that is readily engaged and disengaged from a transport assembly by an actuator assembly. When the apparatus is thus disengaged, a retract drive assembly rapidly retracts the transport assembly from its feed-completed position to its feed-initiating position for re-engagement of the feed assembly with the transport assembly.
It is accordingly a general object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for feeding elongated products in a series through a selected stroke length.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved apparatus and method for precisely feeding a series of elongated products through a slicing assembly, which includes retracting the feed transport at a rapid speed while same is disengaged from the transport feed mechanism.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved apparatus and method for slicing an elongated sausage with maximum efficiency by precisely feeding the sausage to and through a high speed slicer by the action of a driven transport assembly, which transport assembly is disengaged from its feed mechanism after slicing is completed, at which time the transport is rapidly retracted by a retract drive assembly.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved apparatus and method for feeding elongated products through a selected stroke length which includes means for retracting the product engaging member in about one second or less through a feed length of about six feet.